I'll be in London from July-October and really don't want to miss too much skating... Suggestions for ice rinks? From what I've found, Hemel-Hempstead or Alexandra Palace would probably be the most convenient, though I could probably make Slough work as well. (I won't have a car. I will probably have a bicycle.) Also, I read in another thread that some rinks do monthly passes, but none of the rinks I've looked at seem to list those on their site. I've also had trouble finding freestyle times - some of the rinks list only public sessions. Or patch ice, which I gather is freestyle and not devoted to figures... But then I also read that at some rinks, you have to be in a lesson and then pay your coach for the ice, so is it not usually general practice ice? Is figure skating generally allowed on public sessions? Are there some rinks which are friendlier to adults than others?
I'm clearly quite confused, so any help would be greatly appreciated!